Reprogramming the race: The role of hardware
- Justyna Rosak
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Written by Justyna Rosak, Edited by Benjamin Crundwell
How fundamental is the car when defining performance and determining who takes victory in races and championships in Formula One?
Pretty important.
Most people who have watched an F1 race have considered the significance of having a ‘faster’ car and just how much is down to the driver in the seat. But what really determines how fast the car can go? What makes up an F1 car’s hardware? And how much can the cars differ from each other?
An F1 car is more than an engine, halo and four wheels. Each car comprises over 1,000 individual components, working simultaneously to create a racing machine capable of accelerating beyond 200mph (320kph) – making the F1 car slightly more complex than a standard road car…
At the heart of every F1 car lies the central component: the power unit. Without it, the car wouldn’t function. Power units are hybrid systems that make up a fundamental part of the car’s hardware, though they are not individual components, rather complex systems composed of various mechanical and electrical elements. This includes the internal combustion engine, turbocharger, gearbox and exhaust, to list a few.
These elements are key to driving continuous technological advancement within the sport. As a result, strict regulations are maintained and caps on how many power unit components each team may use per car are defined every season, with penalties imposed for exceeding these limits. Though, almost every driver who has been or is currently on the grid is guilty of having incurred such a penalty at some point - as the performance benefit often outweighs the punishment.
Max Verstappen received a five-place grid drop as a penalty for exceeding the set power unit allocation during the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix; he went on to win the race.
Together, these components work to create what, in effect, can be viewed as an F1 car’s own ‘power grid’ or ‘circulatory system’ - a complex network of synchronised parts responsible for the generation and distribution of energy required to sustain a car’s performance during a race.
Sustaining this performance is critical in a fast-paced and highly dynamic sport. The power unit has a vital role in maintaining control and balance when factors such as humidity and temperature fluctuate, or when energy is gained or lost, for example during breaking.
Visualising the power unit components in the context of a car in motion helps illustrate how they work together in practice. As formally recognised by thermodynamics and described by the law of conservation of energy, energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or stored.
When an F1 car brakes, the motor generator unit-kinetic (MGU-K) prevents kinetic energy from being lost to the surroundings by converting it into electrical energy. This energy is stored in the battery. Then, when required, the control electronics and motor generator unit-heat (MGU-H) further allow this stored energy to be re-used to provide a temporary increase in speed, aka a ‘power boost’.
These processes form the foundation of the car’s energy recovery system (ERS) – a defining technological feature of F1 as known today.
As a result, hardware has a fundamental role in shaping the mechanics and therefore, the performance of an F1 car. Today’s F1 power units are by far the most efficient in the automotive industry. Despite this, sustainability remains a fundamental objective within the sport.
From 2026, all F1 cars will use new, sustainable fuels, known as e-fuels to power every car on the grid. This shift represents just one of the many ways in which F1 is responding to the increasing demands for higher efficiency and lower environmental impacts, demonstrating that advancements within the sport are continuous.
Ultimately, the skill of a driver remains imperative when determining a race victory, but the hidden importance of the car’s hardware - the efficiency and reliability - cannot be isolated.
This raises the question: what breakthroughs lie ahead as F1 continues to accelerate towards and beyond the boundaries of speed, efficiency and sustainability through technological innovation?
